As part of the educational project GASTROTOP, the Zala County Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a 30-hour education on confectionery. The participants of the training were able to get acquainted with without gluten-free, lactose-free, eggs and sugar-free ingredients that can be used to replace traditional ingredients that cause food intolerance and food sensitivity. The acquired knowledge was also applied in making all kinds of cakes. We asked two training participants what their further intentions are after the education and what is their opinion about this initiative?
Katalin Sinkovics Tamás is a world champion in confectionary and a bronze medal holder who works as a confectioner at the György Thúry Vocational School, Center for Vocational Training in Nagykanizsa. She told us that she worked in a pastry shop, then in a family-held business, later in a hotel, all of which she replaced with a job in a school ten years ago. She has always taught students because she enjoys learning the tricks of the trade, which includes preparing students for competitions. She enjoys learning herself, and signed up for this training to gain practical experience in preparing pasta.
“- Compared to regular wheat flour, it’s really different to work with oat flour or rice flour because they behave differently, just like coconut milk which has a completely different taste than cow’s milk. It was interesting to taste cakes made from ingredients without additives. There is no big difference. For example, there was only a difference with poppy seed cakes because these gluten-free flours also contain starch and therefore completely absorb moisture.”
As she said, she is very happy to participate in this education because she is enriched with both theoretical and practical knowledge. The administration of the vocational school in which she works in wants to incorporate this newly acquired knowledge into its curriculum, which includes the teaching of dietary confectionery. Food sensitivities are a special area, which is why it would be good for children to have more thorough knowledge about substitute ingredients and how to make cakes without additives. Namely, there is an increasing demand for these special products in the hospitality industry.
Ms. Ibolya Manyák Móré from Vonyarcvashegy believes in nutrition reform and has been organizing camps as an ethnographer and lifestyle consultant for over thirty years.
“- I voted for the reform diet. My curiosity stems from gaining knowledge in making all kinds of cakes without additives. My daughter grew up in it. She leads an absolutely healthy lifestyle, as does the whole family. A few years ago I got an allergy, so I had to work it into my daily life and eat accordingly. I signed up for education in order to improve my knowledge and apply it in my work.”